The Last of Us: Better Days
by IGdude117
Summary: It's been 20 years since Joel and Ellie settled down in Jackson after leaving Salt Lake City. Joel is now an old man; 70 years old, and Ellie is a woman, 34 years old. Together with Tommy, who is now 65, they reflect on everything that has happened. Rating for violence and strong language. The Last of Us and all related characters and items are the property of Naughty Dog, Inc.
1. Chapter 1: The Truth, Please

The look. The passion. The love. The grief. I could see all of them written across his face like a picture book. Yet, deep down, I suspected that he was lying; that he had done the horrible, atrocious act, for whatever reason.

"Swear to me that everything you said about the Fireflies was true."

He stiffened, looked away, and I knew what was coming.

"Yes. It is."

Like a sigh of resignation and a ray of hope, I surrendered.

"Okay."

It touched me, really. I felt that he cared deeply for me, and, despite myself, I found that I cared for him a whole lot, too. Then, in silence, we walked towards Tommy's town.

"Ellie."

I turned, and smiled slightly.

"Hey, Tommy."

He had grown much older since those many years ago; his blond hair now gray and his face, while still firm and strong, showed signs of wrinkling. His leadership of Jackson, his many trials against both the Hunters and the Infected, these things broke him down bit by bit. Maria's death at the hands, or teeth, I should say, of a Clicker had truly broken him. Now, he was quiet, giving orders but no longer smiling much. More than anything, tired.

Tommy's face was even older, even sadder.

"He's askin' for you."

I nodded, the grief creeping back into my heart.

"How long does he have?"

Tommy sighed, deeply.

"It's a miracle he's made it this far. That cancer's eating him dead. It's…" his voice cracked, the tears beginning to stream, "Soon. It's gonna be soon."

I nodded again, and walked to the door, taking a deep, steady breath to calm myself.

_Don't cry, Ellie. Don't let him see you like this._

I opened the door slowly.

His hair once black with streaks of gray was now snow white; as white as the snow before I met David—

_No. Don't think about that._

His face, once so comfortingly lined was much more wrinkled and weathered now than it had been twenty years ago. Yet, beneath the age, it was still Joel. It was still the Joel I knew and loved. It had, quite some time ago, stopped being '_like_ a father' to 'my father'. And now, looking at his withered, frail form, my eyes welled up with tears. I knew, under the exterior, was the strong man who had cared for me most of my life.

As he always did, he simply looked. It was a blessing of sorts, I suppose, that Alzheimer's and memory loss hadn't sunk in. He was still Joel.

_My Joel._

Then, his face broke into a wide smile, and his dark brown eyes, gleaming with intelligence, teared up.

It was all I could do to keep from crying.

_Keep it together, Ellie. Don't start sobbing. Be strong for Joel. _

I gingerly set my rifle against the wall and knelt by his bed. I intertwined my fingers with his and stared into his eyes.

"Hey Ellie," he said, his rough Texan accent for the most part unaffected by age.

It took all my strength to keep from crying.

"H…Hey Joel. How you doin' today?"

He smiled upon hearing my voice.

"Hangin' around Texans too much, Ellie; you've got the accent down."

We both laughed.

"I gotta tell you, baby girl, I'm goddamn fucking tired of this shitty hospital," he said, chuckling.

Yet despite the mirth, his eyes told me that he was fully aware just how close he was to death.

A fit of coughing overtook him and held him tight as the wheezing coughs racked his body. When the fit was over, he sighed and reclined in the bed, sinking into the pillow. Then, gently, he held my cheek in his hand.

"Oh, baby girl, you still look like you did when we met in Boston," he said, staring deeply into my eyes.

* * *

It had been a few months after settling down in Jackson that Ellie had confronted Joel about Salt Lake City.

Joel sat idly in his chair by the fireplace, admiring the nice house Tommy and Maria had seen fit to assign to them. Life in Jackson was… different. Joel found he could relax here, but for the most part he kept to himself, and only spoke with Tommy and Maria out of the town. Of course, he spent most of his time with Ellie, and he took on a more protective role over her.

As he strummed on his guitar and sang softly to himself, Ellie walked in the door, promptly sitting in the chair. She looked disturbed, and avoided Joel's eyes for a long time.

"What're you doin' up, it's way past your bedti-"

She cut him off with a glare.

"No bullshit anymore, Joel."

"What're you talking abou—"

"Just stop it, alright?!" she said forcefully. "What happened at that hospital?!"

For Joel, each syllable she uttered was like a gunshot.

_Oh Shit. She asked the question. _

Sighing deeply, he set the guitar down and looked at her straight on.

"I did what I had to do, Ellie, now let's just go—"

She shook her head in rage.

"Stop fucking lying to me Joel! What the hell did you do?! What, did you fucking kill all of them?!"

She had said it sarcastically, but he stiffened and flinched when she said it. She noticed, and her eyes widened in shock.

"You fucking bastard."

"Ellie, I—"

"Marlene? The doctors? All of them?"

"Look, they were gonna—"

Abruptly, Ellie stood, putting on her backpack and slinging her rifle over her shoulder. Joel got up and started walking towards her.

"Ellie, don't do this…"

She broke into a sprint, and Joel ran after her. He chased her through the streets and upon reaching the main gate, she climbed up the wire fence. Desperate, Joel grabbed her ankle and pulled her down, wrapping her in a bear hug.

"Ellie, just let me ex—"

In a single movement, she kicked him, hard, in the balls. He emitted a grunt, and released her, falling to her knees. She resumed climbing, and as Joel's vision got dizzy, he dragged himself closer to the fence.

"Ellie, don't do this!" he bellowed.

The light in Tommy's house flicked on, and Tommy ran out, in pajamas.

Ellie reached the top and dropped down, breaking into a sprint down the road. Joel struggled to his feet, and fumbled with the lock.

"DON'T DO IT, JOEL!" bellowed Tommy, who tackled Joel to the ground.

Shouting in rage, Joel shoved Tommy off, who came back at his legs.

"If you go out, you'll die! Wait for the others to find her!"

Joel shoved Tommy off and punched him across the face, then turned and ran towards the gate. Desperately, he tried climbing the fence, but Tommy, like Joel had before, grabbed his ankle and shoved him to the ground, pinning him there.

"ELLIE!" bellowed Joel as he tried to push Tommy off.

Gritting his teeth, Tommy cursed. Then, instinctively, he smashed his fist into Joel's head, knocking him out cold.

Tears of pain and grief flowed from Tommy's eyes as he slowly stood, looking at his older brother's unconscious body.

"Ellie, Joel, I'm sorry."

* * *

**So I really liked the Last of Us, and I know this has been done a lot, but this is my vision of what happened after the ending. Let me know if you like it, I've got another chapter in the works. **

**Sincerely,**

**IGDude117**


	2. Chapter 2: Hating the Love

Ellie ran and cried. She cried about many things; the death of what she considered to be her mother. The atrocities Joel had committed. His refusal tolet her choose. And, ironically, most of all, her guilt at having hurt Joel.

She kept running, panting, her sides hurting, sweat dripping. After another ten minutes of agonizing jogging, she paused by the side of the road, lying on the ground, breathing in the sweet air of the forest.

_What have you done, Ellie?_

_That bastard killed the Fireflies! He killed MARLENE!_

_Not like she was that much of a mother anyways; Joel was there for you and you kicked him in the fucking nuts._

_Why didn't he let me choose? I wanted Riley's, Tess's, everyone's death at the hands of those… those things to not be in vain! I wanted to make a difference!_

_He saved you from David. _

_NO. DO. NOT. TALK. ABOUT. DAVID. _

Slowly, despite herself, she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Joel woke to a pounding head. He groaned in pain, clutching his head. Why did he have such a shitty fucking headache? Well, at least he could complain about it to E—

The memories came flooding back. A surge of distress shooting through him, he sat up in bed hurriedly, only to see Tommy standing by the door.

"Don't go out there, brother."

Angrily, Joel walked up to him threateningly.

"Why the fuck did you stop me?!"

"We both know you would've died; the Clickers come out a night. Ellie would have a better chance; she's smaller, so their echolocation will have to struggle to find her."

Joel glared in anger.

"You had no right."

"You're my brother, and I didn't want to lose y-"

"Do you even understand how I feel about that girl?!" he shouted. "She's my entire goddamn world! I could not live without her, Tommy, you hear?! I killed all of the fucking goddamn Fireflies because of that girl!"

Tommy stopped talking and stared at Joel in silence.

"Wait… You killed the fireflies?! Marlene? The others?"

Joel glared at Tommy, panting from his earlier tirade.

"They were going to take out her fucking brain and study the thing. Tommy, there was no way in fucking hell I would sit by and let them take her from me!"

Tommy fell back against the wall in shock.

"You selfish bastard. You just jeopardized the entire human race because of one fucking girl?!"

Bellowing, Joel grabbed Tommy by his collar, lifting him up. Tommy struggled, but Joel's strength was too much, especially with the adrenaline flowing through his veins.

"You don't get it, do you Tommy? The Human Race isn't even worth saving! I've seen all the shit people've done. They've murdered, raped, eaten, and imprison each other. You think that the piss-poor excuse for a civilized race we are warrants the death of a fucking innocent girl?! Dammit, man just get outta my way; I'm going after her."

* * *

Joel was sleeping in the bed, and Tommy and Ellie sat on a sofa on the other side of the room. They talked in whispers, but Ellie couldn't help notice how Tommy became more of his old self when he was talking with Ellie. He smiled more, moved more, talked more.

"So of course after he pinned me to the wall, I had no choice but to let him go. I gave him one condition, though; I had to go with him."

Ellie sat, gripping the cup of coffee in her hands. She nodded once, then brushed a strand of hair over her ear. They sat in silence for a time, watching Joel's chest rise up and down, the occasional mumbled statement in his sleep.

"Forty years later and he's still dreaming about Sarah," Ellie said, quietly.

Tommy sighed, almost as if he had been punched. Ellie sensed that her statement had brought painful memories back into his mind. She began to say sorry, but Tommy began talking.

"I'll bet Joel never told you about his life _before_ Sarah died, did he?"

Startled and curious, Ellie turned to look at him.

"Never; he always said I was 'treading on real thin ice'".

Tommy chuckled wryly.

"Sounds like him. He never _did_ talk about that shit."

Leaning forward, Ellie listened intently to the story of her surrogate father, one she had never expected to hear…

_Joel and I have always had a hard life. Our parents lived in one of the poorest counties in southern texas, and my parents, both very kind, warmhearted people, had to struggle for everything. Our father worked several jobs, and even was begging on the street at one point. They both had to give up a lot of dreams because of their love for each other. Then, disaster struck. When I was one, and Joel was five, our father died in a car accident, leaving us with one parent. Our mother desperately tried to keep up, but it became too much, and she was forced to remarry another man. This time, our stepfather was an abusive bastard who hit Joel and I a lot. But throughout it all, Joel always stood up for me, often taking my beatings. For years after that, my mother, my brother, and I struggled through constant beatings. We often begged her to leave him, but she gritted her teeth and said that she had to raise us as best she could. We hated her for that, but I see where she was coming from. _

Tommy's face was distant, and Ellie could tell that he was living in the past, vividly.

_When Joel graduated high school, he announced something to his parents. Secretly, he and his girlfriend Sophie had had a baby and were planning on getting married. My mother, of course was overjoyed, but my stepfather flew into a rage and kicked Joel out of the house at gunpoint, shouting for him to never return. Angrily, Joel vowed that he would make enough money to bring my mother and me with him. I was only 14 at the time, and, frankly, I was enraged to see him abandoning us again. Well, Joel and Sophie made a good couple, and married when the two of them were 19, already nursing a one year old Sarah. Homeless for a long time, Joel, who had done well in high school, gave up his dream of college in order to raise Sarah. The couple moved around Texas, but eventually, when Sarah was 2 and Joel and Sophie were 20, Sophie grew tired of being poor and left him. Her betrayal left him heartbroken, as he had to give up his job flipping burgers in order to raise Sarah until she was old enough to be on her own. _

_Luckily, I turned 16, I ran away from home, guiltily leaving my mother behind, and traveled with Joel and Sarah. I was able to take care of Sarah while Joel worked, and, eventually, he got a job at a construction company. After a month or two of living in shelter after shelter, Joel bought an apartment. You could say that at that point, things were very hopeful. When I turned 18, and Sarah was 4, Joel told me to go get an education, so I went to college. Five years later, I graduated, and stopped by Joel's to see how they were doing. Joel, now 27, and Sarah, now 9, were living well. Joel had gotten a promotion and had bought a decent house outside Austin. We reminisced for a while, and he even told me that he had arranged for our mother to live in a retirement home, as our stepfather had passed away several years ago. _

_I left to live in Austin itself, working as an engineer, and visited them often. _

_Then the infection came, he lost Sarah, and his whole world came crashing down again. After Sarah died, he was never the same; he put up walls around himself, and a part of him died with his daughter; he fell in with a group of Hunters while I joined the Fireflies, and that was when we got in our fight and I told him I didn't want to see his ass again._

_But that's what's strange about you, Ellie. You're the first to break through his wall. There's something there; he really does care about you._

Ellie took in the information silently, her mouth slightly open and eyes wet from surprise and pity. Inside, the story made her feel much worse about the current predicament. She was sincerely surprised by some parts of the story; Joel had had it harder than most, it seemed. She hoped, prayed (even though that sorta thing wasn't her style), and wished that Joel was not dying. But deep down, she knew…

This couldn't last.

* * *

**Hey guys, thanks a lot for the reviews, i appreciate the input. Tommy's behavior was rather OOC in the last chapter, but I'm reasoning that, in a dog-eat-dog world, Tommy would opt for saving his brother rather than a girl he didn't know that well. Next chapter we may or may not see what Ellie and Joel were up to after she ran away. **

**(UPDATE) So I fixed Joel's background a little thanks to some pointed out continuity issues. Thanks for the reviews and constructive criticism; It really helps a lot when you guys tell me if i'm doing anything wrong, so please keep it up.**

**Sincerely,**

**IGDude117**


	3. Chapter 3: Decoding the Recordings

The Clicker staggered closer to Ellie, and she felt the familiar fear creeping in on her, slowly. The memories of teeth sinking into flesh made herinvoluntarily shudder, rattling a discarded bottle nearby.

With a rasping, clacking noise, the Clicker whirled around in her direction, tensing its arms.

"Fuck this," Ellie said, and she popped up with her hunting rifle, taking aim quickly, and fired. The bullet smashed into the Clicker's fungal growths, showering fungus everywhere. Unperturbed, the clicker squealed and ran at Ellie, scrabbling on the ground.

Cursing to herself, Ellie slid the switchblade out of her back pocket and, as the Clicker attempted to grab her, she stabbed it several time in the chest, then, ducking under its grabbing hands, she slid underneath the creature, jumped up on its back, and stabbed it multiple times in the head. After the Clicker went silent, she cursed, wiping infected brain tissue and fungal plates off her blade.

Sighing, she pulled the bolt back on the hunting rifle, wincing slightly as the bullet casing ejected and bounced on the ground.

"Shit."

She knelt next to the Clicker, grimacing at the sickly-sweet odor of rotting flesh, and frisked its body, giving a slight chuckle of victory as she found a few 9mm bullets and a scissor blade in the bastard's pocket. Giving a cursory glance to the doors and listening for the telltale clicking or screeching sound of Infected, she opened her backpack, and looked at her materials. She had only two guns, a 9mm pistol, which had around 12 bullets or so, counting the ones she had just found, and a bolt-action hunting rifle with 10 bullets. Additionally, she had two first aid kits, which she had made from scavenged material, and a makeshift shiv that she had made from a kitchen knife piece and tape. Now, she took the scissor blade, and, wrapping tape over the handle, had another shiv, which she stuck in the back of her jeans for quick use.

Joel had taught her how to do that.

It had been great fortune, she thought, that she came across a sickly horse in a stable, left behind by some Hunters, she thought. She had fed it food and cared for it, and then ridden it down a dilapidated highway to the southeast. Her destination was fixed in her mind, yet she wasn't fully committed to the prospect; she wanted to go to Salt Lake City. Now, a week of hard riding later, she had arrived; yet the Clicker and infected presence had only intensified. Now, taking refuge in a building a few blocks away from the hospital, she was having the fight of her life.

Close by, the scream of an Infected echoed through the building. Zipping her backpack up and reloading her rifle, she ran down a hall, ignoring the skittering sounds of Infected sliding on the slick floor.

* * *

It took another day of hard running and evading Clickers to finally reach the hospital. Cautiously, she entered the main entrance, and was greeted by bodies. The main doors, which had obviously been locked, had been forced open. On the ground, Clicker and Firefly bodies littered the floor. Yet, dishearteningly, many of the Firefly bodies sported gunshot wounds.

She knew it had been Joel.

As she walked, stepping over Infected and Firefly corpses, a story began to show itself. From a room, a rampage; a Firefly with his head blown off; others with cracked necks; she could almost see Joel coming from behind to strangle them.

What had driven him to this? Why had he done this? She knew Joel, or at least, she thought she did, and she reasoned that _something_ had driven him to this.

_Why did you come here, Ellie?_

_I wanted to return, to finish what I started; to… to make sure that Riley, Tess, Sam, and Henry didn't die in vain. I want to give a chance back to humanity that Joel fucking stole from me. _

_Tell the truth._

_I… I want to know the truth. I want to know why._

After walking some more, she came across the first tape recorder. The label was faded, and bloodstains spattered it, most likely from the dead Clicker and Fireflies that lay dead there.

* * *

The recording began with the sound of gunfire.

_This is fucking insane; the smuggler went absolutely fucking berserk, and his fucking killing most of us brought the entire fucking city's infected on us._

More gunfire; the shout of men giving orders.

_They broke through the main door; the first level's fallen, they're coming up here now; we can barely hold all of the stairs and entrances. Let's—_

The rapid rattling of several assault rifles, the boom of a shotgun, even the _krak_ of a hunting rifle.

_NO, HOLD THEM BACK! Okay if you're listening to this, you need to go back from where you came from; the Fireflies have fallen—_

Then, an agonizing scream and the rattle of a Clicker tearing into flesh.

Ellie stared at the recorder in silence. It pleased her, in a perverse way, to know that Joel hadn't killed _all_ of the Fireflies by himself.

* * *

She found the next one after following a trail of bloodsplatters and bodies. After a while, she had come across some barricaded doors, which gave her comfort in knowing that the Infected weren't here, as the echoes from far below indicated.

The familiar voice of Marlene came on, and Ellie's heart left; but then, the words sunk in, and only certain phrases registered.

_…no way to extricate the parasite without eliminating the host…Fancy way of saying we have to kill the fucking kid…I gave the go ahead… a chance to save all of us…asked me to kill the smuggler…the one man…that might understand the weight of this choice …exhausted and I just want this to end… So Be It… Your daughter will be with you soon. _

* * *

The horse's trail had gone cold, but Joel knew Ellie enough to start despairing; he knew where she had gone. The last trace of her was a single bullet, ejected from a hunting rifle. In the direction of Salt Lake City.

Tommy knelt by the casing, examining it, and then studying the grass.

"The trail goes cold here. I'm not skilled enough to tell where she's going."

Joel stood in silence, the guilt gnawing at his innards like a buzzard. Grabbing his hair in despair, he let out a long breath.

"She's going to the city."

"Why would she—," Tommy started, then his eyes widened. "Oh, Shit. That's where you—"

"Yeah."

"Fuck."

Tommy knelt by Joel, taking a deep breath in, and releasing it slowly.

"You goin' after her?"

"Yup."

"Lots of Clickers."

Joel grunted.

"I have to, Tommy. She's all I got left."

"She could just shoot you."

Rubbing his beard, Joel grimaced.

"If she decided to, I wouldn't be opposed."

"You're my brother, goddammit, you've gotta live."

Joel turned towards Tommy.

"Look, Tommy, I get it. I do. Why you knocked me out, why you value me over her."

"I never said that…"

"Brother, you know I love you. But she's everything to me. If you wanna go back, that's fine by me. I'd prefer it that way; I don't want your ass getting killed, either. But either way, I'm goin' after the kid."

Tommy frowned, and then stood. Looking at Joel, then the distant horizon, then in the direction of Jackson, he ran his hand down his face. Then, he spat in the grass, and slung his rifle over his shoulder.

"Well, shit. Might as well."

Joel nodded, and then walked in the direction of Salt Lake City. He pulled out in front of Tommy, who paused, looking back in the direction of Jackson.

"I'm sorry, Maria."

* * *

The phrases whirled through her head, and she sobbed. It felt like her last ounce of determination had evaporated. Now she knew why. Why Marlene had been _like_ a mother, but never quite there. Why Joel had killed, and then lied. She felt betrayed, depressed, and guilty.

_What Joel did was unforgivable. But I know why he did it._

_Do you?_

_Because we're friends._

_Nope. You know why, deep down, why he did this._

_Don't even fucking start. Don't start with this sappy shit._

_He sees you as a daughter, and face it, I know we look at him like our father._

_Bullshit. He killed Marlene. _

_She was an okay mother_._ I'll give you that. But what really, did she ever do? You said it yourself; she was a friend. That's fine if you hate him for killing your friend but don't be calling her a mother if you don't mean it._

_I do, though. She's my fucking mother, you bitch!_

_Not as much as Joel's your father. Marlene; she cared for you because of a promise. But she must have known about your having to die for a long time; since Boston, at least. _

_I would've died for her. _

_And she would have died for you… but only because of a promise to your mother. What, she talked to you about school, took you with her on Firefly business, but most of the time you were in military boarding school and she was busy fighting the military. _

_She still didn't deserve to die…_

_Did she ask you if you wanted to die for humanity? No. You heard her; she made that choice for you. She may not have liked it, but she told the doctors to go ahead and kill you for the vaccine. _

_So did he._

_He didn't ask if you wanted to be saved, yeah, and that was fucking greedy of him. But hell, if he hadn't you wouldn't be here right now, right? What were the chances of success, anyways?_

In a daze, Ellie walked into the operating room, where the doctor lay dead, shot in the head, a scalpel in his hand. To the side, two nurses lay dead, thin to the bone; they had starved, in addition to gunshot wounds. On the counter was the last recorder.

* * *

A raspy voice, undoubtedly that of one of the surgeons, came on the speaker.

_We never had much of a chance, anyways… We're starving to death. Tania's already unconscious. It has been three days… three entire fucking days. The guy shot both of us; Tania's is more severe. I guess he thought we would live through this, what with the other fireflies here. Well, the clickers came, and so too died our hope. I guess… I'm almost done here, so I'll come clean. I never agreed to kill the fucking girl. If anything, she was the most convenient choice. Back at the University, we tried on immune primates, even our immune friend. Dozens of trials, not to mention the attempts at the CDC to produce a vaccine from immune survivors. Not one success. Ever. Who are we kidding? We scrabbled at straws; our last chance was the girl. I guess this is what I get, agreeing to do such a atrocious fucking thing. Not to mention that the vaccine would have had a negligible effect; only uninfected people would become immune, leaving, what, a handful of military and a shitload of Hunters, cannibals, and criminals? How would we even distribute, or reproduce the vaccine? It was never going to work. I wonder if this was what Nature intended for the last of us; a slow death, full of despair. I'm… I'm sorry, Tania._

Sinking to the floor, Ellie cried and cried and cried until there were no tears left.

* * *

It had been earlier, after they left Bill's town, listening to the music, that Joel had first cracked. The rain had poured on the car, and Ellie was sleeping. Hitting a pothole in the ground, she sat up.

"What was that?"

"Nothin', just a pothole. Go back to sleep."

"Nah, I'm not tired."

Joel had chuckled softly, making Ellie grin.

"Do you miss it? The old world, I mean?"

Frowning, Joel, glanced back at her, then returned his eyes to the road.

"Yeah. I do. Things were simpler back then."

"Tell me a story from back then."

Joel stared at the road for a while, thinking.

"This one time, Tommy and I went skydiving."

"What the hell's skydiving?"

"They would take you up in planes, and you would jump out, and get caught by a parachute that slowed you down. Now, we had been saving up for this for a while, and Tommy, being the braggart he is, was tellin' me how he was gonna fly circles around me. Well, needless to say, he was so scared that he wouldn't leave the door, so I had to push him out and we both landed in the lake," he said, chuckling.

Ellie laughed, not quite understanding all of it, but seeing Joel happy made her smile; the gruff, cold man had seemed to warm up. Yawning, she stretched and lay back down.

"Thought you weren't tired," Joel noted sardonically.

"Goodnight, Joel."

Joel remained silent for a few minutes. Then, as his eyes began to fill with tears, he wiped them away, concentrating on the road.

"Goodnight, Ellie."

* * *

**So that concludes Chapter 3! A quick note on Ellie's internal conversations; she is not schizophrenic. She's having a conversation with herself about certain things; think of the truth telling voice as the embodiment of Ellie's survivor's guilt. Also, I decided to have Ellie revisit Salt Lake City not because she wanted to give the cure, but because she desperately wanted to know the truth about what Joel did. For those of you who figured this out on your own, kudos.**

**Thanks for the reviews and keep 'em coming!**

**Sincerely,**

**IGDude117**


	4. Chapter 4: Reflections on Winter Cold

More than anything, they talked. Sometimes it was Joel and Tommy; sometimes just Ellie and Tommy, when Joel was asleep; sometimes all three. But mostly, when Tommy left to do things around Jackson, like fix up a section of the wall or stand guard, it was just Ellie and Joel. Like the old days.

"Tommy… he told me 'bout your life before… before the infection."

To this, Joel remained silent. His expression darkened, and he frowned slightly. Then, after an internal debate, he loosened, and relaxed.

"My life ain't nothin' special. It's my life."

"You had a hard life, Joel."

"I made do with what I got."

"You did better than that. You did the incredible; you raised a family with nothing."

He remained silent for a long time. So long, that Ellie thought he may have fallen asleep.

"You would have liked her."

She had heard the statement many times, and while she resented that she was always compared to Sarah, and not on her own merits, she was always very honored that Joel thought so highly of her.

Joel frowned, thinking, and then sighed in exasperation.

"Hell, I'm almost dead anyways," he said, looking at Ellie. "Ellie, I think of you like my daughter, and this has been buggin' me, and I know I said a long time ago, but I'm sorry about killin' your friends, but I would do it again in a heartbeat."

Ellie's mood darkened a little. She hadn't been expecting him to open that can of worms. But, for the same reasons she had figured out all that time ago, she forgave him.

* * *

Ellie didn't know how, but when she woke up, she was curled up in a building outside of the hospital; several blocks away, in fact. Her backpack was leaning against the wall, as was her rifle, and the flashlight lay next to the pack. Getting on her feet immediately, she began listening for anything unusual; aside from the occasional creaking from the building, she didn't hear anything, but that didn't mean there weren't Infected hibernating. She slid the flashlight into her backpack strap's loop, slung her rifle over her shoulder, and pulled back the bolt to make sure it was loaded. Her experience in the Outside with Joel taught her one thing; staying in one place for too long was a damn fool thing to do. Glancing outside the window, her heart jumped in shock. Walking towards the hospital were two figures, and, by her instinct and gut feeling, she knew who they were. On the left, a figure with green flannel walked warily, a shotgun slung casually across his shoulder. On the right, a figure with a jeans jacket held a hunting rifle. Her heart pounded as he swung the rifle towards her, and then stopped.

Tommy stared through the scope at the familiar face, albeit scratched and dirty, and brown hair of Ellie.

"Joel, it's her."

He turned around quickly, taking his shotgun out.

"Where?!"

"In that building, second floor."

Although he was far away, they locked eyes for a split second. Then, her emotions in turmoil, she ran. As she sprinted through the hallways, dark with grime and age, the tears started flowing but she blinked them away.

"Goddammit, Joel, you're making this hard as fuck," she cursed quietly to herself.

* * *

Eventually, Ellie managed to shake off Joel and Tommy, who, after it started becoming cold, argued over what to do next.

"Damn it, Joel, we won't survive a week in the winter goin' after her!"

"We've been over this before, Tommy, I ain't givin' her up."

Exasperated, Tommy clenched his hair in frustration.

"Joel, we lost her fucking trail a mile back! She's a fucking hunter, brother, and she can shake off a pursuer; hell, she can probably track better than I can. But it ain't gonna help her none for us to die in the goddamn snow goin' in circles trying to pick up a trail we can no longer find."

Joel glared at Tommy, an occurrence that, with increasing frequency, had been happing a lot. Internally, he debated over what to do; he saw the truth in Tommy's words, but he desperately wanted to find Ellie. He could not, would not, accept that he would never see her again. The thought of her, alone, with thousands of Clickers, Infected, and Hunters, aggravated him much more than he was readily able to admit. While he did have faith that Ellie could take care of herself, his reasons for continuing was more about making things right between the two.

"I'm still goin', Tommy. Again, if you want to turn back, it would be better for me not to get my ass kicked by Maria."

Letting out a groan of defeat, Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose, laughing in frustration. Then, sighing deeply, yet another thing he seemed to be doing a lot, he looked at Joel.

"You that ain't how it works, brother. Hell, I'll go to the depths of hell with you. But at least let us stop at the next town, gather some supplies, and gear up for winter. It's gonna be a long one."

Nodding, Joel walked over to Tommy, who tensed up. Smiling slightly, Joel hugged him, albeit somewhat stiffly.

"I'm glad to have you with me here, Tommy."

* * *

After a long day of walking, Ellie stopped to make camp. Keeping her pistol in the back of her jeans, she gathered some firewood and, laying down her bedroll, she munched on some fried squirrel, which she had hunted earlier, and stared at the crackling fire. As she ate the slightly burnt squirrel, she thought.

_We have to talk about him._

_No._

_Yep. So get your ass in gear. What he did was despicable, but he doesn't deserve hatred; he did it for YOU._

_What he did was selfish and proves he's a coldhearted greedy bastard._

_No, he's not, you bitch. You traveled with the fucking guy for a year; you know him well—he's your friend, protector, and fa—_

_Don't. He's not._

_Remember the car? Remember the giraffes? Remember all the times he risked his life for you, not to mention going up against the entire fucking Firefly army to save your ass from getting your brain chopped out?_

_The Fireflies; the good guys._

_Don't lie to yourself. The only fucking person in there you gave a shit about was Marlene, and she decided for you. She had no right to do that._

_Maybe I wanted to die._

_And maybe you didn't. If you had, you wouldn't have gotten a chance to do everything you have for these past couple months; hunt, gather, and find yourself._

_I haven't found myself, though. _

_You are now. _

_Fuck you, I didn't ask for this. _

_What you really want is to talk to the guy, so why don't you?_

_Because he fucking killed Marlene…_

_Okay, we need to straighten this thing out. Marlene was your surrogate mother. She felt bad about ordering your death. But really, the only reason she took care of you was because Anna made her promise. Otherwise, she would have left you to die like all the others._

_She cared about me, and I cared for her!_

_You care for Joel more. In your heart, you just want things to go back to the way they were. So quit fucking moping around and face your fears. Don't be a fucking weak ass victim. Take control. Say what you have to say to Joel and listen to what he says in return, and maybe, just maybe, you may find it in yourself to forgive him._

For the first time in months, Ellie felt the warm embrace of sleep wash over her immediately.

* * *

**Hey everyone, so I apologize if this chapter is of less quality than the others; I was struggling with where I wanted Joel's and Ellie's stories to go. Next chapter should be coming soon, so hang on there! I'm planning for there to be about four more chapters from here, so stay tuned!**

**Thanks for reading,**

**IGdude117**


	5. Chapter 5: Painful Reunion

It took another week before Ellie mustered the courage to confront Joel. After her realization, she had taken to shadowing Joel and Tommy, and she found it comforting to know that the two of them would go to such great lengths to find her. Yet the guilt came also. Joel looked much older than hehad; tiredness had sunk into him, and his eyes were red from exhaustion and, possibly, tears.

They walked down a dilapidated highway, and she followed, going from bush to bush, staying in the foliage. Several times, Tommy looked in her direction, holding his hunting rifle, and she stayed absolutely still, until he turned back again.

"I think we're being stalked."

The two continued walking, both had their guns out casually, ready for anything.

"What makes you say that?" Joel asked casually.

"I don't know… It's just a notion, I guess."

Then, the whizzing of a bullet filled their ears, and pain erupted in Joel's arm. Shouting in pain, he slid behind a burned-out-car and held his bicep tightly, where a ragged bullet hole leaked blood.

"Where the hell did that come from?!"

Tommy, poked his head above the door, then ducked down quickly as another bullet _spranged_ off the rusted metal.

"Hunters. There's a sniper in one of the cars up ahead, and about five more making their way here. Fire-and-movement."

Joel cursed, and, gritting his teeth, he wound a bandage around his arm.

"Bullet went clean through. Hurts like a bitch. Hand me my shotgun."

Joel ignored the agonizing pain in his arm and hefted his shotgun, pumping a round in the chamber. He looked down the sights at a Hunter crouching behind a car, and quickly grabbed his 9mm out of the back of his jeans. Taking a deep breath, he held the sights on the man's head, and slowly squeezed the trigger.

The bullet ripped through the Hunter's head, and, with a spray of blood and gore, he flopped to the ground like a rag doll.

"You fucker!" shouted a Hunter.

The volume of fire increased, and Joel struggled to distinguish what firepower the Hunters had. From the sounds of it, and excluding the sniper rifle, Joel could hear two pistols, one shotgun, and a semi-auto rifle. Racing to think of a plan, he remembered the contents of his backpack.

"Tommy, cover me."

Adrenaline taking over, Joel burst from cover, holding a Molotov cocktail in one hand and his pistol in the other. He sprinted towards the closest Hunter, and flung the lit bottle towards the car where the sniper was located. The flames burst and spread, and agonizing screams emitted from the interior.

The Hunter lunged towards him, tackling him onto the ground, then pinning him and choking Joel. Desperately, Joel slid a blade from his pocket and stabbed the man in the side, making him howl in pain and fall back. Getting up, Joel jumped to the Hunter and stamped his foot into the man's face repeatedly, crushing his skull.

He ran towards the next Hunter, but was grabbed from behind by another one. Realizing his mistake, Joel jabbed his elbow back several times, but the man held grimly on. As Joel's eyesight began to dim and he ran out of air, a single thought ran through his head constantly, even as he struggled against his assailant.

_I'm sorry, Ellie._

The man was too strong, and the day Joel feared in which he would finally meet his match had apparently arrived. Then, when his vision was on the verge of going black, the man's grip loosened, and he swiftly broke out of the hold and knifed the man in the chest.

However, the man already had a bullet hole through his forehead, and, as he fell, he saw Ellie holding a rifle. His heart leaped in joy and he started towards her, but she shook her head.

"Later."

Nodding, Joel turned again, and together, they eliminated the remaining Hunters.

* * *

Afterwards, after they had looted the Hunters' gear, they all met in the middle. Tommy was overjoyed, of course, to see Ellie, and the two of them smiled broadly at each other. Then, Ellie turned towards Joel, and Tommy, seeing that they wanted some time alone, made an excuse about looking for supplies.

They sat on a car's hood, and were silent for a while.

Then:

"Ellie, there's nothing I can say to make this better, but—"

"No."

Joel looked at Ellie, and remained silent.

"Joel, I know you thought that what you were doing was right. But it wasn't really. Neither was what Marlene was doing. Neither of you gave me a choice. I would've liked to give my life back in the hospital, but I would have appreciated Marlene giving me a choice. For that, I don't know if I can ever forgive you. Neither can I forgive you about killing who I considered to be my mother and her people."

Joel looked away, guiltily.

There was a profound silence, and the quiet chirp of birds and murmur of the forest echoed around them. They sat on the car for a while, an uncomfortable silence settling over them.

"I'm sorry," he said, quietly, after a while.

She nodded her head, and a solitary tear fell out of her eye.

"I…" she said, struggling to let the words out. "… forgive you."

Then, after another pause, Ellie hugged Joel tightly, crying into his arm. Wincing slightly, Joel embraced her.

"Ellie."

Then, comforted, but still slightly uncertain, they walked towards Tommy.

* * *

"Can I ask why you forgave me?"

Ellie looked at Joel, and then sighed.

"I had a… a realization right before the highway battle. It wasn't that I hated _you_; it was more the fact that I had felt betrayed by everything; by you, by Marlene. I felt that everything I had known about the world had fallen apart. The only thing that stuck out in my mind was that you did it for me, to protect me, and I guess I realized that despite all that you had done, I cared for you, too."

There was a profound silence in which her words seemed to echo. Then, coughing softly, Joel nodded, and fell asleep again. Soon after, sitting in a chair next to his bed, Ellie followed suit.

* * *

**Once again, thanks so much for taking the time to review and nitpick at my work; it honestly helps me a lot. Check back at Chapter 2 for my updated back story for Joel, which had some continuity issues. We're getting closer and closer to the end of the story so stay tuned! Next chapter will include some greater in-depth views of older Ellie and older Joel.**

**Thanks for reading,**

**IGdude117 **


	6. Chapter 6: A Fireside Chat

When they returned to Jackson, Tommy was greeted by a swift punch to face. Maria, who had been told of his return by a Jackson sentry, she sprinted out of her house, and upon seeing Tommy, tackled him to the ground, screaming profanity at him.

"Where the fuck have you been the last three goddamn weeks, you fuck?! Where in fucking hell did you go, asshole?!"

She punched him harder, and Tommy shielded his face, and she eventually stopped, then hugged him tightly, crying hard.

"Don't you _ever_ do that to me again," she said tearfully, yet firmly.

After she let go of Tommy, she glared angrily at Joel, and, in one movement, left Tommy's arms and slapped Joel across the face.

Tommy started forward.

"Maria, that was uncalled for!"

Joel stopped him, looking at Maria with a grudging respect.

"It's okay. I guess I deserved that."

She was visibly fuming.

"Your brother will do whatever it is you do; the pair of you is like a couple of stubborn-ass mules."

"I'm sorry, Maria."

She glared at him, then made as if to say something, then remained silent, grabbing Tommy's hand and turning towards their house.

There was an awkward silence after her tirade, then, Tommy and Joel glancing at each other, they smiled at each other, and then went on their way; Joel and Ellie one way, Tommy and Maria the other. After a while, the townsfolk went back to their workplaces and the entrance area quieted down.

* * *

Joel and Ellie gradually settled into Jackson, although Joel preferred to stay to himself unless Tommy specifically asked him; he helped fight off the occasional bandit and Clicker raid, helped with heavy building, and stood guard a lot, often bringing his guitar with him to his post to softly strum faint chords.

Ellie, the others came to realize, was as effective as any other adult in the town after her many adventures in the Outside. Other children her age knew not to mess with her, and one boy who had annoyed her had ended up with a broken hand and smashed up face.

She went to a school, of sorts, where several adults taught the children arithmetic, reading, and history, although Ellie scarcely knew the use in most of the subjects. She did, however, take an interest in learning history; her travels through the Outside had exposed her to the ruins of civilization, and she was eager to learn more about the world before the Cordyceps.

Most of the time, however, she skipped lessons, preferring to help with the harvest and other grueling jobs. She gained the adults' respect; they could see that she was special, and many respected her so well that they did not speculate why she had returned to Jackson with their leader's brother.

If, however, the people of Jackson were rude to Ellie and Joel during peacetime, it was undoubtedly in the midst of bandit raids and Clicker attacks that the pair shined, and they gradually earned a reputation for being merciless killers.

As Ellie grew more mature and adult-like, Joel slowly but surely began feeling the creeping hand of age. However, their bond was such that it withstood the test of time; Joel and Ellie often talked, played music, and enjoyed life together. Joel taught Ellie how to play guitar, and together with some guitars Tommy had obtained, they often played and sang far into the night.

It was on one such night that Ellie finally broke the final wall down.

They had been strumming together, playing different chords and riffs, when Ellie put down the guitar and sat on her chair, looking at Joel. She was now a young woman; 17 years old. Joel was older, but still maintaining the last vestiges of youth, being 51. As he quietly strummed the guitar and sang softly, she cleared her throat softly.

"Do you miss her?"

Joel stiffened slightly, but continued playing.

"Who?"

"Sarah."

He stopped, frowning at Ellie, preparing to halt the conversation then and there, to admonish her for her insolence. Then, opening his mouth, he stopped. Why did he refuse to talk about her? Was it a primal fear to escape the crushing pain and sorrow that resulted from recalling her pained whimpers as blood gushed from her ragged bullet wound? His sobbed denials of her death, his resulting depression and suicidal thoughts? The years of indulgence, becoming a Hunter in Austin, hunting and killing travelers? The years of amoral drug and gun dealing, helping make the QZ a more violent place.

These things caused him guilt, no doubt about it, but the crushing feeling of betrayal and despair that had descended upon him once when Sarah was dying in the dirt by the bridge, and again when the doctors were preparing to cut Ellie open, was something he did _not_ want to experience.

Sighing, rubbing his face in tiredness, he leaned back into the chair.

"Yeah. Every day."

"What was it like; living before the infected?"

Joel looked at Ellie and smiled slightly. She was older now, prettier and more mature by anyone's standards. Yet the curious, scruffy 14 year old girl he had traveled with for so long came through.

"It was… simple, I guess. You'd wake up in the morning, tired as hell from staying up late the previous night working on an important deal. Usually, I'd wake up to Sarah jumping on me. I'd be mad at first, but we'd end up laughing and getting a bowl of cereal from the downstairs, maybe catch some "Tim and Harrison" on the TV."

Sarah was staring at Joel, fascinated by the personality of the story.

"So people just… walked down the street and did work?"

Joel chuckled to himself.

"Hard to believe, ain't it? I'd drop Sarah off at school early in the morning, then I'd head back home, make some calls, maybe show up at the office once in a while to boss some of my associates around."

"You just drove around… really?" she asked, incredulity in her voice.

Together, by the crackling fireplace, they talked for a long time about life before the Infection, each and every detail being important to Ellie; she would ask about the smallest of things, the tiniest details. Several times, she neared the threshold of danger; she asked once or twice about how Joel and Tommy had grown up, but Joel had always stopped talking, so she stayed away from what was obviously a painful past.

Then, Joel had fallen asleep during one of their silent pauses. Ellie had continued talking, and then realized that he had fallen asleep. She was tempted to wake him up again, but she decided to let him sleep. Then, crossing over to the couch, she snuggled closely to Joel, and, as she had for a while, she set her head on his chest, listening for the comforting thump of his heartbeat. Then, with the rhythmic heartbeat lulling her to sleep, Joel draped an arm over her casually, and they fell asleep on the ratty couch.

* * *

**Hello all!**

**The story is coming along, and chapter 7 will be coming soon, I promise. Yet again, this chapter isn't my favorite, but I feel that a simple time lapse through Joel and Ellie's Jackson life was called for. Next chapter, we'll check out what Ellie is doing to rebuild the world!**

**Stay tuned, and Thank You,**

**IGdude117**


	7. Chapter 7: Eight Years Later

EIGHT YEARS LATER

Ellie crept through the decrepit store, avoiding several shards of glass gingerly, pulling back on the bowstring as she crawled stealthily. The broken storefront windows opened onto a dilapidated street, and the Hunter steadily walked back and forth, patrolling. She slid into cover behind an empty bank of shelves, and peered around the corner, slowly releasing the tension from the bowstring. After a while, another Hunter approached the patrolling one.

"Anything yet?"

"No, that last batch of tourists must have hidden farther in the city. They ain't getting' out this way, that's for damn sure."

"They put up a hell of a fight. That one old-ass motherfucker killed Tim."

_Joel._

"They find him yet?"

"Nope."

"Clay's a dumb ass; we all know Greg should be leading the city…"

"That'll come later; not everyone's…"

A rock skidded across pavement nearby.

The two men spun towards the sound, the patrolling one whipping out a pistol, the new one grabbing his two-by-four.

"The fuck was that?!"

They walked towards the rock, gathering around it. Then, the patrolling Hunter had a realization.

The arrow that burst through his eye socket silenced him, as did the bullet hole leaking blood from the other Hunter.

There was a profound silence, then Ellie stepped from the store gingerly, looking for signs of other Hunters. Then, deciding it was safe, she waved towards the adjacent Gas Station.

John, the leader of Ellie's small band of "Eagles", as she called them, stepped out, waving a pistol towards the center of the city.

The idea for the Eagles had come, in some small part, from the Fireflies. After the destruction of their main base in Salt Lake City, the Fireflies movement had died down substantially; what with Marlene's death and the intensifying military crackdown on Firefly activity. The last great clash between the government and the Fireflies had been in the Atlanta Safe Zone, and had resulted in the QZ in question becoming overrun with Infected. Those Fireflies that Ellie had contact with, a few here and there, had melted back into the shadows or gone into hiding in Jackson. She and John, a young, ex-Firefly who had made the journey all the way from the Chicago, decided to bring together a band of rebels to help friendly survivors against the military, as well as the Hunters. John had arrived when Ellie was 24, and the two had become fast friends. John, 26, had incidentally been in Boston when Tess had visited the Firefly camp, then had made his way to Jackson after another Firefly told him about the settlement.

Joel, of course, had always been mistrustful of John, and had always kept a watchful eye on the newcomer. Yet he had decided, and Ellie suspected it was to keep an eye on her, to join the Eagles, even as a 61 year old man. In front of the rest of the Eagles, all ten of them, he kept up with the group, did his part, even risked himself to save other Eagles and killed a respectable number of Hunters and Military alike.

Several times, however, she had seen him wheezing, panting, even once throwing up from the work. He wasn't as young as he had been; finding Ellie had taken a lot out of him, and Ellie was secretly very worried. In front of him, she still traded witty banter and talked with him, as she knew that any comment on his condition would hurt him.

John walked closer to Ellie.

"We need to move out of here; the other Hunters probably heard my gunshot."

"Alright. We need to move towards the rendezvous point near the QZ barricade and hold there until Joel and the others get back."

He could read the worry on her face and he held her shoulder.

"Joel's gonna be okay, Ellie. It's like that Hunter said, he's a hard-ass motherfucker. He may be old, but he's a survivor."

She nodded, reassured, but the worry persisted…

* * *

Joel cursed and blindly fired another round from his revolver, noting the momentary cease in firing. The group had wandered into a pack of Hunters, who were currently pinning Joel, his three remaining Eagles, and the five tourists that huddled in fear, clutching makeshift close combat weapons.

Tania, one of the Eagles popped up with her bolt-action, and then ducked as a fusillade of bullets clanged off the roof of the rusty car they took cover behind. She glanced at Joel, a desperate look on her face.

"They've got some serious firepower; looks like a military assault rifle, a few shotguns, and an assload of pistols."

Jake, another Eagle, stood to fire his Glock, and fell abruptly as a stream of bullets rammed through his chest, propelling him backward. Grimly, Joel leaned over and took the Glock and the other clips for the pistol and tossed the loaded gun to a young girl holding a crowbar. She looked at it uncertainly, then fired off a few rounds in the general direction of the Hunters.

_Well, beggars aren't choosers, I guess…_

A Molotov cocktail exploded in a fiery inferno behind them, and Joel realized it was time to take the offensive. He crawled towards Tania, ignoring the dull aching in his muscles and joints.

_I'm not as young as I used to be… How much more can I take?_

Pressing into the car, he shouted over the chaotic din of weapons fire.

"I'm gonna take Ron and circle around them! You and the tourists keep them occupied!" he bellowed.

Tania and Ron, an Eagle clutching a shotgun, nodded, and Ron crouched, crawling over to Joel's position. One by one, then sprinted from car to car until they reached the alleyway. Panting heavily, Joel pushed the chamber in his revolver out, checking his ammo count.

_Four bullets. Shit._

"Follow me," he told Ron, and they broke into a sprint, running headfirst into two Hunters who rounded the corner. Both sides fell back, startled, and there was a pause. Then, reacting, the Hunters charged at Joel and Ron.

The first Hunter, a tall, gangling man wearing a dirt-smeared bandanna, rushed Joel, tackling him in the abdomen and slamming him to the ground. Joel guarded his face with his forearms as the Hunter rained blow after blow on him. Then, in a swift moment, Joel kneed the Hunter in the balls, pushing the man off. The guy groaned in pain, and then feebly tried protecting himself from Joel's fists. Joel punched the man repeatedly in the face, then jumped to his feet quickly and slammed his foot into the man's head, breaking his neck.

Panting heavily, Joel looked at Ron, who was wiping a combat knife on his shirt.

"You okay?" he asked.

Ron, a man of few words, simply nodded. Then, once again breaking into a sprint, they rounded the corner and ran down the alley between the two large buildings, slowing to a careful walk to stealthily peek around the corner.

The Hunters had formed a firing line of sorts. A line of twelve or so Hunters fired a mismatch of weapons at the hunkered down Eagles.

_Shit. There are too many to take out with just our pistols…_

Then, a thought occurring to him, he smirked slightly and ducked back around the corner, slowly unzipping his backpack, taking out the unused Molotov cocktail. Reaching into his grimy jeans, he pulled out the dirt- encrusted lighter and, in one motion, lit the cocktail and tossed it at the line of Hunters. Ducking back, several rounds impacted on the brick building he pressed up against, and agonized screams erupted. Then, gesturing to Ron, they burst from cover and sprinted full speed towards the Hunters. Several writhed on the ground, engulfed in flames. Joel grabbed a dazed Hunter from behind, and, tightening his grip, choked him out while Ron and the other Eagles eliminated the others.

When the man finally went limp, Joel leaned against a car, panting heavily. His muscles burned, and everything in his body seemed to ache. Tania ran over, crouching next to him.

"Are you okay, Joel?"

He made a dismissive gesture, and she reluctantly stepped away, talking to the few remaining Eagles and Tourists. After nearly throwing up several times, Joel managed to stand. Then, in the silence as the group scavenged for supplies from the deceased Hunters, he heard a solitary gunshot.

_Ellie._

* * *

As Ellie and her Eagles neared the rendezvous point, the sounds of gunshots resonated deeply, and a streak of worry resounded through her. She looked at John with worry, and he coolly cocked his pistol and waved the others on. As they rounded the corner, they were greeted by a hail of gunfire. The Hunter's main force had, apparently, come down upon their small group. Peeking through a dirt-streaked window of a car, she could see glimpses of Tania and Ron firing from the former QZ- position. The Hunters, however, numbering at least fifty, poured massive amounts of fire on both Ellie's and Tania's position.

"Where the fuck did these shits come from?!" Ellie yelled at John.

"I have no idea, but if we don't fucking move, we're screwed!"

Ellie leaned and fired a shot with her rifle, then popped back into cover and pulled the bolt back, quickly stuffing another in. Her mind raced with ideas as she frantically tried thinking about how to get out of the mess.

Then, one of the Humvees, like the one from Pittsburgh all those years ago, careened into view, firing its heavy machine gun at the defenders.

_Fuck._

Joel groaned in disbelief as the Humvee fired at the sandbags, and he hugged the ground as bullets whizzed overhead. He blindly lifted his pistol above the bags and fired randomly, and was rewarded with a barely audible cry of pain.

"We've got to take out that armor!" someone shouted.

"And how the fuck do propose we do _that_?!"Joel bellowed.

A Tourist, a thin, emaciated man, fired his newly acquired AK, and was unceremoniously hurled back by hundreds of bullet impacts ripping through his chest. Joel's head raced as the impact of bullets and cries of the dead man's families echoed. Then, an insane idea occurred to him.

"Ron, Tania, with me."

Desperation was sinking in. The armored car was pouring a torrent of fire on Joel's position, and the Hunters were moving steadily forward. A dull horror built in her chest.

_I won't lose him. Not today. Not now. Not ever._

_He's doomed. There's nothing we can do._

_We have to do something! I'm not leaving him behind._

_You'll have to._

In desperation, Ellie rolled across the gap between hers and John's car, bullets hitting the cracked pavement behind her.

"What the fuck do we do?!"

"I have no fucking clue, Ellie," John shouted, firing several rounds from his pistol.

Then, looking through the cracked window, she saw the smoke grenade arc from Joel's position, and saw, in a brief moment, Joel, Tania, and Ron vaulting over the barricade and throwing themselves towards the coughing and disabled Hunters. For a brief moment, Joel and her locked eyes through his gas mask, then he disappeared into the cloud of smoke.

* * *

Joel ignored his concern for Ellie, and pushed on, kicking a coughing Hunter in the face. He could barely see anything, but he eventually saw a dim outline of the car. Adrenalin flowing through him, he mounted the car's hood, and, scrambling up pits and strapped equipment, jumped into the cupola, knocking the dazed Hunter's head hard against the sharp edge, cutting his skull open. Then, dropping into the vehicle itself, he put the driver into a choke hold, squeezing harder and harder until he heard a pop.

The smoke began to dissipate, and he went back into the cupola and began firing at Hunters. After spraying the surrounding bandits with fire, there was a profound silence. Tania gestured towards Ellie's group, who cautiously exited their cover, and the few remaining Tourists. Ellie looked at Joel, and, grinning, Joel jumped out of the car, walking towards her.

Then, his chest erupted in agonizing pain, and, grunting in pain, he slumped to the ground. As his sight dimmed, he could see Ellie and John running towards him.

* * *

Ellie had lead the group back to their home base, in Jackson, both her and John taking turns supporting the barely conscious Joel back to the town. At their slow rate, it had taken a few weeks to make it back, and Ellie found herself both immensely worried for Joel and very thankful to John for helping her in getting back. When they returned, they immediately shouted for a medic, and the older, middle aged Tommy, as well as Maria and several other Jackson men, rushed out to help them.

"What the hell happened?!"

Ellie rubbed her face in stress.

"He collapsed in the city, and we came back as fast as we could."

They supported Joel, who muttered under his breath frantically, and took him to the small hospital in Jackson, where Dr. Martin, an ex-Firefly medic, immediately took control of things and took Joel into a room, with the help of Ellie and Joel. After laying him in the hospital, the doctor ushered them out, and they stayed the night, worrying unceasingly about their friend.

Dr. Martin quietly exited the room and sighed deeply, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.

"Well, what's wrong with him?"

Martin looked at the pair pityingly, and Ellie instantly knew it was bad.

"Joel has lung cancer."

* * *

**Hey guys, SO sorry about the long wait. Schools started up again, so I'm a bit pressed for time, but rest assured I _will_ finish this story completely. Chapter 7 was a wild ride, for sure, and in Chapter 8 we'll see the epic conclusion to The Last of Us: Better Days!**

**Thank You so much for reading my stuff and sticking with me. Any reviews would be appreciated, and thanks so much for liking and following this story.**

**Sincerely,**

**IGdude117**


	8. Chapter 8: Better Days

Ellie woke to the sound of rough coughing and bedsprings bouncing. Snapping awake, she ran over to Joel's bed, where he convulsed as blood spurted out of his mouth from his painful coughs.

"Help!" she shouted.

Several agonizing seconds passed as she held Joel down, and Dr. Martin, a once-military medic, came running in.

"Shit! He's coughing a lot, Doc!"

Together, they held him down, which was no small feat, as Joel, while old, still had much strength in him. Then, slowly, his fit subsided, and he sank back into his bed.

"Water," he rasped, and Ellie winced from the agony that was apparent in his voice.

Ellie ran over to the water fountain and filled up a small cup, then gave it to Joel, who greedily drank it. Dr. Martin listened to his chest and regarded some machines, then pulled Ellie aside.

"He doesn't have too much left in him. If I were you, I'd … I'd say goodbye. I'm… I'm sorry," he said, holding Ellie's shoulder.

She nodded, holding back tears.

Ever since that time, 9 years ago, Joel had had relapses of the cancer. He took the news in stride, of course, but he never really left Jackson after his initial attack. Ellie and John, together, had led the Eagles throughout the US, and helped start new towns all throughout the country, with help from hundreds of refugees from the Quarantine Zones. Yet every time she had left, she found herself worrying about Joel. The first person she always went to see upon returning to Jackson was Joel.

She returned to the bedside, hiding her utter desperation. Joel. Her Joel. Her protector, her guide, her best friend… her… father?

She expected, somehow, to see fear, pain, or even blank comprehension on Joel's face, yet he looked at her with intent, fully aware of his condition. He coughed again, his hand coming away bloody. He looked up at Ellie and spoke, his voice raspy and rough.

"Looks like this is it," he said bluntly.

"Yeah," Ellie said, choking back tears.

Joel nodded thoughtfully, coughing again, taking in a rattling, rough breath.

"I'm sorry for lying to you, Ellie."

She stiffened, bad memories returning yet again. She had preferred not to talk about it, ever, and had made the utmost effort to put her earlier years behind her.

"I took your friends from you, I took Marlene from you, and I took your choice from you."

He reached from the bed, gripping her hand, his grip surprisingly strong for a man at the end.

"I'm not asking you to love me like a father or anythin' like that. But I just want to… to let you know that I thought of you like a daughter, Ellie."

She had known, or at least suspected, that Joel felt this way, but to hear him say it out loud was, at the same time, comforting and saddening.

He erupted in another fit of coughing, and blood trickled from his mouth, and Ellie knelt by his bed, leaning close to him. His voice, now ragged and raspy, was now only a whisper.

"Ellie, I… I want you to have this."

He lifted up his wrist and unbuckled the aged, weathered watch from around his wrist, and taking Ellie's hand in his own, pressed it into her hand. It was Sarah's watch; something that Joel held on to like a lifeline; his lone remaining relic from better times.

"Joel… Don't go…" Ellie whispered, shakily.

A tear streamed from Joel's eye, and he kissed Ellie on the forehead.

"Goodbye, baby girl."

Ellie sobbed, and Joel gave one last, ragged cough, and expelled a long breath.

Then, silence.

Ellie pressed her head against his chest again, listening for the comforting heartbeat, but it was empty, and she cried harder than she had ever done before. In the past, her consciousness would have, perhaps, engaged a conversation in her head, but it was silent.

Ellie lifted her head, and closed Joel's eyes, which stared into the distance. His eyes closed, he looked like he was dreaming, and she saw the slightest smile on the corner of his mouth.

Rubbing her eyes, Ellie stood, looking down at the man who had been her traveling companion all those years ago; the man who had saved her life, who had been there for her, who had been, Ellie now realized, the closest thing she had to a father.

"Goodbye, Dad."

Then, reluctantly turning around, she put Joel's watch on, and felt, despite her skepticism, the presence of Joel, Sarah, Sam, Marlene, and all the others she had lost along the way.


	9. Epilouge

Every year, she went to the spot.

They had buried him in the small ranch where Joel had found her after she had run away all those years ago. Tommy, himself falling sick, had accompanied the group of Jackson men as they bore Joel's body to the spot, Ellie included. There hadn't been a bandit raid in years, but they brought guns anyways.

Joel would have admonished Ellie for not bringing a gun.

They had found a solitary tree in the backyard of the ranch house, and had buried him with a simple wooden cross. Then Tommy had said a few words.

"My brother was a bull-headed, stubborn sonofabitch who would do anything to survive. I can't say I approve of everything he's done, especially in the past. But I can justify it. Him having lost Sarah, all those years ago… that changed him. Those earlier days in the Infection… they were bad. And I think that losing his one love made him colder… more distant. But hell, we were still brothers, and I loved him no matter what happened, even after we fought. And the only thing I've seen that brought him out of his shell was Ellie. So Joel, If you're listening, Ellie's here too. And I just want to say, I love you a lot, brother. And I'm sure I'll see you soon, so rest in peace."

The other men, Tommy included, had given Ellie their condolences, and had left her to be alone. She had gone to the marker, and stared at the blank wood, thinking about what words to immortalize such an important figure in her life.

Overwhelmed, she fell to her knees and sobbed into her hands, letting the tears pour out. Then, after she had finished, she pulled her trusty pocketknife from her pocket and carved into the wood.

**Rest in peace and Keep fighting.**

**-Ellie**

Satisfied, she stood. Then, as she walked around the ranch she remembered the words that Joel had said to her right before reaching Jackson.

"_I struggled for a long time with survivin'. But no matter what, you keep finding something to fight for. "_

As she rounded the corner, and saw Tommy look at her with red eyes, she felt a sense of contentment. What was done was done. Joel had been right; she didn't have to keep agonizing over her friend's death. Or anyone's death. She knew that she would never forget Tess, Marlene, Riley, Sam, and, most of all, Joel. But she knew that with their words and lessons, she could live her life to its fullest, and do the best she could.

As she walked away, fixing the watch on her hand, she glanced back at the ranch, and smiled.

* * *

**Thanks to everyone for sticking with me for this story. Once again, sorry for the delays, but overall, I feel that this branch of Joel's and Ellie's story has reached its end. **

**Thanks for reading, **

**IGdude117**


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